Vodacom to deploy solar at Midrand HQ

Vodacom said on Thursday that it will install solar PV panels at its head office in Midrand, reducing its need for grid-supplied electricity.

The solution will allow Vodacom’s headquarters to generate about 10.8GWh of its own power per year, which it said is roughly  21% of the site’s power requirements.

Vodacom South Africa MD Sitho Mdlalose said the initiative forms part of the company’s plan to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

The company has signed a power purchase agreement with vendors, with a target for completion of a first phase of March 2023.

Work will soon begin on this initial phase, which will see solar PV panels set up on rooftops and carports.

Phase 1 will deliver an energy generating capacity of two megawatt peaks (MWp), with this figure increasing to 6.5MWp in phase 2 and 3 of the project roll-out across the rest of the Vodacom Midrand campus.

The amount of power generated through the Midrand project will help Vodacom reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by around 11 448 mtCO2e, with plans under way to pursue more initiatives like these across Vodacom South Africa’s operating footprint, the company said.

MTN’s project

Vodacom’s announcement comes a week after rival MTN South Africa said it planned to install green-energy solutions at its head office in Fairland, west of Johannesburg.

MTN has issued a request for proposals that will see its headquarters become a “completely green office”, it said. The project will be implemented in four phases:

• Phase 1 facility: MTN’s 14th Avenue campus rooftop and solar carports in car parks
• Phase 2 facility: Ground-mounted solar on vacant land adjacent to the 14th Avenue campus
• Phase 3: Rooftop and ground solar at various other MTN facilities
• Phase 4: Off-site power wheeling from renewable energy providers

The preferred bidder for phase 1 should be announced in December, MTN said.  – © 2022 NewsCentral Media